[njl]

Saw a baby copperhead rattler by my pond. I want to get a cheap used gun to load with rat shot to carry when I am working outside. thought about a 38 or a 22 to be loaded with rat shot, but I wonder if a 22 is really big enough in case I run into a large snake.

thoughts or opinions welcome.

Copperhead rattler? Is that like the car boat from James Bond?

Copperheads and rattlesnakes are two different members of the pit viper family. There is no copperhead rattler species.

A .22lr ~40gr hunk of lead I suspect would go through any snake no problem. .22lr shot shells, I'd want to test out on a big dead snake before I trusted them for dealing with live poisonous ones. .38 or better shot shells, I'd have a bit more faith in.

A Taurus Judge with .410 shot shells might be the ultimate snake handgun.